Workforce Management
Workforce Management
What you will learn
- List layoff alternatives and when to use them.
- Set safeguards for fair selection in workforce reductions.
- Weigh the benefits and limits of contingent labor.
- Design measures to transfer knowledge from departing experts.
Workforce management means having the right number of the right people in the right place, and acting fairly when that changes up or down.
Alternatives before resorting to layoffs
Hiring freeze
Reduce overtime
Redeploy employees
Reduced hours or voluntary leave
Voluntary retirement or separation programs
Selection criteria in reductions
Selecting the highest paid may disproportionately affect older workers, and targeting complainants is prohibited retaliation. The right answer is always objective, documented, job-related criteria, with an adverse impact analysis on protected groups before implementation.
Workforce arrangements
| Contingent Workforce | Temporary or freelance labor offering flexibility and specialist skills, requiring correct legal classification. |
|---|---|
| Job Sharing | Two part-timers sharing one full-time job. |
| Knowledge Transfer | Passing on tacit knowledge through mentoring, shadowing, and documentation before experts leave. |
What matters on the exam
- A large shortage needs a mix: retention, education partnerships, hiring, and work redesign.
- Prolonged overtime causes burnout and turnover, so it isn't a lasting fix.
- Written manuals alone don't capture tacit knowledge.
Quick check
Answer in your head first, then reveal.
Name two alternatives to layoffs.Reveal the answer
Hiring freeze and reducing overtime (or redeployment).
What is the key safeguard for fair reductions?Reveal the answer
Objective documented criteria with an adverse impact analysis.
Three experts will retire soon. What do you do?Reveal the answer
A knowledge transfer program combining mentoring, shadowing, and documentation.
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Your next step
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Sources
Used to verify the facts. The writing is original to Passuit.